Discussing The Ideas Of Freehand Brushwork In Chinese From "Guodian Letters"

There has been a fierce debate on"Xie Yi"among painting artists in China. There are several interpretations about"Yi", and most of them share the meaning of"Xin Yin"as stated in Shuo Wen Jie Zi (the first Chinese dictionary compiled in East Han Dynasty) by Xushen. And in this thesis, the author will explore the meaning of"Yi"from the statement in Guo Dian Bamboo Slips, the most ancient written form in China by now, to make a different interpretation about"Yi"by making a comprehensive analysis on the origin of"Yi"and relevant researches about"Yi"conducted by other scholars. And the author makes a conclusion that, in terms of character form, meaning and development process,"Yi"is an ancient character with modern meaning which bears ancient and modern meaning at the same time. The interpretation of"Xin Yin"we often adopt today refers to its modern meaning, and the interpretation before the time of Guo Dian Bamboo Slips is for its ancient meaning. It is perhaps that the ancient meaning of"Yi"had been abandoned before the occurrence of"Xin Yin", which nowadays contains the meaning with more humanism and sociology background like"Zhong","Ren","Zhi"and"Yu". If we deduce the character of"Yi"backward from the time before Guo Dian Bamboo Slips , then we can find a phenomenon that. Therefore"Xie Yi"is probably a kind of painting method with less individual thought and more natural elements.This article draws a conclusion that"Xie Yi"appears before"Xie Yi Hua"(Freehand Brush Work), and the key meaning of"Xie Yi"doesn't rely on its technique or material or routine expressing ways, but on its spirit, a kind of"Divine Nature".